David Golemon - Primeval

"Yes, Dr. Golding, bypass security protocol protecting top-secret CIA analysis files, operational files and agency archives. Field agent protection lists are to be excluded under this protocol — is that correct, Doctor?"

"Correct," Pete said looking over at Jack for confirmation. After all, that was the most guarded secret in American intelligence, the identity of undercover field agents across the globe. "Now Europa, you will use my security clearance for this operation, is that understood?"

"Yes, Doctor, clearance number 78987-2343, Department 5656 override."

"Wait a minute, Doc, I said this is my responsibility," Jack said, placing his arm on Golding's.

"Colonel, you may not be thinking as straight as you usually do under the circumstances. If we are caught entering the CIA Cray system, there are going to be arrests made. No matter how secret we are, we are going against a presidential order. It just so happens we are not secret from him. How are you going to help your sister if a bunch of marines come down here and haul you away on presidential orders?"

Jack looked from Golding to Everett, who was sitting silently watching the exchange as Collins removed his hand from Golding's arm and nodded his head.

"That's why Pete gets the big bucks, Jack, he has the ability to step back and look at things logically," Carl said as he turned in his chair and waited for the enquiry to start again.

"Europa, commence a backdoor entry into Cray system 191987—Blue Dahlia — Langley."

"Yes, Doctor," came the calm and ordered reply of Europa in her Marilyn Monroe voice.

The assault on one of the most secure systems in the world was underway. The funny thing was, it was Europa's little brother at CIA, and they were both assembled only days apart. This backdoor mugging was to be a family affair.

It took Europa close to an hour to break into Dahlia's mainframe. She was close to timing out on the attempted break-in when a small backdoor was found in the Langley system that ran out-of-date file subroutine revolving around agency retirement records.

After two and a half hours of skirting the main file location inside of intelligence and operations, they had uncovered the full extent of the ambush in Montreal. Besides confirming their number-one targets, Sagli and Deonovich, Golding, Everett, and Collins were starting to piece together what it was the Russians were looking for: The Lattimer Papers and what was being tagged as the Petrov Diary had been mentioned in no less than seventeen agency filings in the past twenty-four hours, filings the agency had received through their own Cray system, Blue Dahlia, and absconded from the CSIS authorities in Ottawa. That information had been filed inside of Europa for use later in tracking that particular subject matter.

"Okay, gentlemen, here is where it gets tricky, and why." Pete looked at his watch. "I waited until two A.M. to try it. We are going to break into the files of the Intelligence Department, the section where your sister works, Jack. When Europa goes in, she will scan all files using the keywords we have already entered. She will be inside for less than one minute downloading what Miss Simpson's department knows about the event that occurred in Montreal, and about your sister's involvement. During that time, if someone happens to log into the system that is currently being scanned, alarms are going to sound from Virginia to Fort Huachuca in Arizona."

"What will happen then, Pete?" Everett asked.

"That, I really don't know Captain. Dahlia could send a transformer signal through, tracing the program, or send Europa a tapeworm, destroying her completely." Pete patted the console before him and then looked inside Europa's containment room. "But I think she's too smart for that." He smiled. "We've made a few modifications on her in the time she's been here."

"Let's get started."

Pete nodded at Jack.

"Europa, commence scanning the Langley North American Intelligence files."

"Yes, Doctor."

At 2 A.M. in the morning, Nancy Grogan, with fresh new orders from the director himself to stand down for three days, was staring at her computer screen. The file was open on Lynn Simpson. She had read everything she could in that file, trying to find out Lynn's next of kin. She had decided that regardless of what her superiors said, her family, especially her brother, needed to be told about her possible fate, but she found she was loathe to contact the mother of the siblings because she couldn't explain why she needed to find her son Jack. Grogan knew that Lynn had been in contact with her brother. She was the only person at CIA who had that little bit of information. She didn't know how much Lynn had explained to her brother, so she thought it would be helpful to contact him herself if at all possible.

Grogan finally stretched and then started to reach for the monitor's power supply. She still wanted to pack a few things from her office to take home, but she froze when she saw a small and intense flashing icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. USER 5656 LOGGED ON.

"Well, at least they're still working on finding her," Grogan mumbled as she pushed the small button, closing down her monitor.

She stood and found a partially filled box and threw some paperwork from her department inside, then she grabbed the Lynn Simpson personnel file and was tempted to throw it in as well, but she knew that little item would never get through security. As she closed the file, she gently laid it on her desk. The file was a standard "secret" file with SIMPSON, LYNN H typed on its front. Below that was her operations number—1121. This was a series of numbers that all agency personnel had been issued. The number was everything from an employee number, a payroll tag, and Blue Dahlia's computer systems log-in code — the higher the number, the lower the rank and time on the job.

Grogan lifted the cardboard box and then her eyes caught the number on the personnel file once more. 1121. Lynn's number was one of the lower ones since her transfer from operations two years ago. The director of Intelligence let the box slide from her hand as she hurriedly opened her top desk drawer. She found what she was looking for and ran her index finger down the list. It was a directory of log-in numbers for everyone who was authorized to use Blue Dahlia. The numbers ended at 2267.

"Who in the hell is 5656?" she said aloud. As the incredulous thought struck her, she quickly reached for the phone. Someone had hacked what should have been one of the most secure systems in the world. In her haste to punch in security's number, her hand struck Lynn Simpson's file and it fell to the floor, along with Grogan's own notes on Simpson's family. As security answered the phone on the other end, she saw the name Colonel Jack Collins, United States Army, underlined in red ink several times.

"Security, Adamson speaking. Miss Grogan, are you ready to leave the facility?"

Nancy looked up from the file and thought quickly. The rumors of Lynn's brother being very resourceful came flooding through her rapidly thinking brain. She hesitated only a moment.

"Yes, in about fifteen minutes. I'll only be carrying home one box to be inspected."

"Very good, ma'am, I'll have two men standing by for escort to your vehicle."

"Thank you," she said quietly and then hung up the phone.

She knew that what she was doing was very close to committing treason. She also knew that this could have been the way Sagli and Deonovich came across their information on the Los Angeles raid. However, she knew for a fact that Blue Dahlia was as secure as systems can get. The rumor was that only another Blue Ice system could do what was being done, and even Sagli and Deonovich didn't have the funding for that little trick.